Author(s)

Eugene Kouassi, Pierre Mendy, Diaraf Seck, Kern O. Kymn

.

In this paper, a new optimization-based approach to constructing a poverty index is considered. From a general perspective, first and second order conditions based on a general poverty intensity function are derived. Then using specific intensity functions defined by [1,3] respectively, we specify related necessary and sufficient conditions and the underlying poverty indices. An extension based on a large class of intensity function is also investigated.

A General Poverty Index, Necessary and Sufficient Conditions, Other Poverty Indices, Poverty Intensity Functions

E. Kouassi, P. Mendy, D. Seck and K. Kymn, "Poverty Indices Revisited," Theoretical Economics Letters, Vol. 1 No. 3, 2011, pp. 129-133. doi: 10.4236/tel.2011.13027.